America's Healthcare Advocate

My guests are John Massey, President, Mak Booher, VP and Danny Spencer, Treasurer and their 501(3)(c) nonprofit "ZuZu's Petals". This extraordinary charity organization brings the spirit of Christmas to underprivileged communities by providing festive decorations, food and gifts. Find out how they started, what they have accomplished and how you can help right now. We offer this episode nationally, even though Zuzu's Petals is local to the Kansas City metro, because they are a stellar example of transparency in the operation of a charitable organization, and I encourage you to find this kind of transparency in any charity you support that is local to you. Look into Zuzu's award-winning transparency: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/shared/f86605e8-1730-47a2-8b7f-0346ddf468b0 Click here to donate: https://zuzus-petals.org/donate-today kcchristmas.org

It's open enrollment for ACA, which starts in the month of November. On our BlueKC ACA Show we're going to talk about all the plans and we've got some really great information to share with you in the show! November 1st is going to be the start of open enrollment for ACA. It is going to end on January 15th, maybe (we will explain). My ACA Experts Ryan Roth and Sheri Blankenship from BlueKC join me on this episode to get you the information you need if you are looking for an ACA healthcare policy. They can help you find subsidies based on income projections that can significantly lower your cost and will examine how an ACA policy can include Spira Care, and hear about BlueKC networks like, Blue Select Network, Blue Select Plus Network and Preferred Care Blue Network, and what could be available to you. You can go to healthcare.gov and try and figure this out on the marketplace portal, but please listen to this episode first. While this information covers the Kansas City Metro, this episode of America's Healthcare Advocate has information and resources you can apply throughout the USA. Ep 1933 BlueKC ACA Show Topics include: BlueKC reduction of ACA Healthcare rates by 4.3% in Missouri and 10.1 in Kansas, ACA, Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, BCBS, Spira Care, In Network, Blue Select Network, Blue Select Plus Network, Preferred Care Blue Network, Children's Mercy, income projection, subsidy, HSA, Co-pay, Telehealth, virtual care, Open Enrollment, individual or family insurance, Blue 365, Mindful by Blue KC, behavioral health, Livongo, diabetes management, glucose meter, lancets, test strips Learn More https://www.bluekcforyou.com/ Find this episode podcast here: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/aca-obamacare-open-enrollment-how-to-find-the-best-policy-and-pay-less-on-your-health-insurance Have an issue, concern or question? Contact me, your host and Healthcare Advocate, Cary Hall: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us

Understand all the Options from United Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna and Humana. Ep 1929 Reviews all the plans, plan changes and some amazing new Coverage Options for 2024. Medicare Open Enrollment is October 15th through December 7th, 2023 for the 2024 coverage season. Our Certified Medicare Experts receive at least 40 hours of training to achieve AHIP Medicare Certification. Today joining us are Carolee Steele, Director of Medicare and Consumer Services at RPS Benefits By Design and Maria Ahlers, PHR, who has more than 19 years of experience in benefits administration. Episode Excerpts: Cary Hall: “Each year it is so important to review your Medicare health and drug coverage to make sure it's still fits your needs and finances, and this is a time if you want to make a change.I can't emphasize that enough because we're going to give you some specific examples of changes that have been made, some of them good, some of them not so good to all the providers coverage for 2024 that you that you're going to want to know about. That’s the reason that Carolee says you need that review is to see if, hey, you know, what you've got is great, everything's fine”.“So let's just start with comparing original Medicare to Medicare Advantage or original Medicare to Medicare Supplement. Let's just talk about that because you hear this all the time, ‘Well, I've got Medicare. I don't need to do anything else’".Carolee Steel: “Oh, yes, you do”. Cary Hall: “And why is that?” Carolee Steel: “Medicare A and B and B only covers about 80% of all services. So, if you have $100,000 medical occurrence, you're kind of on the hook for that $20,000. And there is no out-of-pocket on that, which is really a scary thing”. So that's what we're going to do today. We're going to talk about that and we're going to bring that information to you so you can make a decision”.RPS Benefits by Design can advise you nationwide for Medicare Enrollment, do a policy review and handle all insurance needs at 913-385-2224 & https://www.rpsbenefitsbydesigninc.com or https://www.facebook.com/RPSBenefitsByDesign I’m your host Cary Hall, America’s Healthcare Advocate and my goal is to enable you to become the expert for your own healthcare management, saving you time, money, and effort and you can message me at: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us

My guest for Ep 1932 is Mr. Gavin Quinnies, Chairman and CEO of US Health Center. Gavin is trained in engineering and management systems and started his career developing artificial intelligence, automated process planning, and intelligent networks in the aerospace industry where he developed industry-leading health, safety, IT, quality, sales, and productivity management systems. • He implemented his first incentive-based wellness program in 1992 resulting in a 4:1 ROI. Before co-founding US HealthCenter, Show Excerpt: Cary Hall: “So the headline here is Employers Health Plan Costs to Swell. Health Insurance costs are climbing at the steepest rate in years, some with some projecting the biggest increase in more than a decade will wallop businesses and their workers in 2024. Costs for employer coverage is expected to surge 6.5% for 2024. Such a boost could add sickness economy to the price tag for employer sponsored plans that already average more than $14,600 a year for each employee. Employers worry the hike will signal a new trajectory, with health costs resuming their rapid upward march through the 2000s. All right. So there have been multiple articles in the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers and other publications about this. That's why I have Gavin Quinnies is on here today.. So, Gavin, let's just start with an overview of U.S. health and the predictimed.com program. Now, you know, I've been on your website, spend a fair amount of time up there. Just talk about your company and what you consider your mission and how you it how you came to put all this together. Gavin Quinnies: “Well, our mission is easy to start with. It's to reduce health care costs and improve quality of life through the deployment of science technology and as with any significant problem, you can't just solve it with a single answer. So technology is a piece of advocacy, meaning individuals working with other individuals. And of course, the science is what helps us know who and how and where and why to deploy the technology. And in the advocacy, my experience in coming out of aerospace engineering with a risk minded philosophy approach to problem solving and and then having to run my own businesses and in the early nineties we started bringing to our manufacturing facilities that that I was that I was running as a as a operations person in charge of safety and quality and, and technology and, and production”. This is a very special, informative and hopeful episode that I think you will enjoy. If you would like to connect with Gavin Quinnes about your company health insurance, visit https://www.predictimed.com or call 877-322-7398. I’m your host Cary Hall, America’s Healthcare Advocate and my goal is to enable you to become the expert for your own healthcare management, saving you time, money, and effort and you can message me at https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us

My BlueKC Medicare Advantage Kickoff Show with 3 experts on hand to explain the new plans available to you and tell you whether it makes sense for you or not. This show is important to you because you want to make sure they have the best coverage possible with the most benefits possible. The first plan we discuss is the HMO plan Blue KC Secure with $0 premium, $0 deductible, $0 PCP co-pay. We also will tell you about the Blue Benefits Bundle, The Valor plan for Veterans that allows keeping VA prescription benefits yet with a Medicare Advantage plan. We also discuss the Spira Care centers: SpiraCare.com. Learn more at https://www.medicarebluekc.com and by calling 833 957-7720 Ep 1930 Our experts today are Barron Roberts, Manager of Medicare and Individual Sales at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City; Angie Sutton, Blue KC Broker Development and Engagement Leader and Barb Bins, Broker Development and Engagement Manager at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City Contact me, Cary Hall, America's Healthcare Advocate: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us

Ep: 1929: In this episode my guest is Russ Allen, Volunteer Director of the NFL Alumni Association TackleObesity.com campaign. Russ shares some truly amazing weight loss knowledge and how his website TackleObesity.com is where you can join wellness experts in an online, season long campaign that will include the NFL Alumni Association members directly coaching you in zoom conferences and a "Playbook" of key insights on how to maintain your weight and how to loose it and will be presented in 12 sequential programs. I'm doing it! You should join us! The campaign in its 4th year and has evolved from the "Huddle Up Let’s Talk Obesity" Public Service Announcement, which was a Sabre Winning campaign in year 1 and featured notable NFL Alumni (NFLA) encouraging the public along with the NFLA membership to begin the process of gaining control of their obesity and getting comfortable speaking about it. "Obesity is a medical condition, not a character flaw" is the mantra of the campaign. In years two and three the initiative transformed into the NFL Alumni Wellness Challenge and during that time 16 of their members lost an average of 35 Lbs! This year TackleObesity.com will enable graduates of the Wellness Challenge (go to nflalumniwellness.org for details) who've been trained to be coaches and public speakers on the topic. After listening to this podcast, I invite you to join us and loose some weight. Start Here: TackleObesity.com Additional info: Russ Allen https://tackleobesity.com/ Russ Allen is the CEO of WellnessNOW.com and operates a network of wellness services under the Optimal brand including OptimalAge.com, OptimalAthlete.com, Optimal Beauty.com, OptimalWomen.com, OptimalMen.com and Optimal Wellness.com Each Optimal service line provides specific wellness optimizations treatment, diagnostics, and care by expert providers. Russ previously owned a concierge medical facility in Manhattan and a 12,000 sq ft medical facility in Astoria, Queens, NY. https://www.linkedin.com/in/russ-allen-8272753/

Ep 1925: Join me the week as my guests from Blue K.C. Barron Roberts and Ryan Roth discuss how Medicaid recipients who are losing coverage can obtain an ACA policy with a Subsidy that Could Cover All Or Most Of The Premium. It's important information for anyone losing coverage in 2024 We also discuss upcoming broker events regarding Medicare Advantage, ACA, and Group health offerings by Blue K.C. Barron Roberts is Manager of Medicare and Individual Sales at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and Ryan Roth is Sales Director at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City While this episode provides information specific to the Kansas City metro, we feel there’s important information for all of the U.S. and BCBS of KC Learn More: Visit https://www.bluekcforyou.com or call 833-264-1596 Got an idea for a show? Send me a message: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us

This week our guest Terri Raimondi joins host Cary Hall for a revealing look into the high cost of health insurance and why its so high. Our experts tell all and you're going to learn where is the money going (and guess who pays for it)? Cary Hall: "You know, they always say, follow the money. We're going to help you follow the money. And we're going to have that discussion about national health care and how it works. And why is it the Europeans spend less on health care and than we do. We're going to talk about all those things today with this national expert Terri Raimondi here in the AHA studio with me". We will explain Self-Funded Health Insurance Programs, Employer Self-Funded Health Insurance Plans and tell you what BUCA plans are and what a Third Party Administrator does. Episode 1928 Lean more, contact Terri Raimondi: [email protected] Got a show idea? Contact Cary Hall: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us

Ep 1926: Diabetes is an Epidemic in the US with 1.6 Million Adults & 283,000 Child Diabetics. A study out that says that's going to increase by 65% over the next four decades. So think about that. If you're already at 1.6 million and you're going to increase that by 65%, now you're doubling it, okay, to 3,000,003 and a half million. In this episode, our expert guests are from Medtronic: Ron Hoyler is a diabetes nurse. He's an educator and he's a nurse clinician. He has a master's in business administration, health care administration, a master's of science in nursing, a bachelor of arts degree in personnel administration, associate applied Science in Nursing degree as well, and he is a certified diabetes technician, a certified diabetes care and education specialist, a certified insulin pump trainer, a 2022 Medtronic Core Training MVP, and he was patient experience champion for Children's Mercy Hospital. Ed Clasby has been with Medtronic for 21 years, so he certainly knows his way around the medical equipment business. But the purpose of this show is to educate you about diabetes and the two products that can make a big difference in your life. Contact: Medtronics Phone number 888-882-8602. https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/products/minimed-780g-insulin-pump-system

We discuss the supplement ZINC and what are the 9 Distinctive Health Benefits of taking it, we update Vets on Agent Orange from the VA Agent Orange Newsletter and new health issues developing. Plus, the new law "No Smoking in New Zealand", Anywhere! I will also reveal how the administration is Ending Short-Term Health Policies in January of 2024 and the real Impact that will have and lastly, National Healthcare in the UK: How’s that going? It's a fascinating, multi-topic, cornucopia of health-related information from Cary Hall, America's Healthcare Advocate. Ep 1924 U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield Phù Cát Air Base Vietnam Nakhon Phanom https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/index.asp monoclonal gammapathy (MGUS) Agent Orange https://www.neurologic.life/Neuro 20 Suit Wavi brain Scan